Detachable shoe cleat



y 1948- M. A. ROBINSON 2,445,926

' DETACHABLE SHOE CLEAT' Filed on. 15, 1946 m PM; W

Patented July 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicaY Melvin A. Robinson, Washington, D. o.

Application October 15, 1946, Serial No. 703,385

3 Claims. 1 The present invention is a ground gripping device or cleat designed as a temporary attachment to the soles of the wearers shoes, with the pur- "pose of affording to the wearer a sure footing when engaged in such athletics as golf and hiking or the like.

One advantage of this device, readily attachadition to serving their normal function as ground bleto, and equally readily detachable from any shoe, is that it may be employed without marring the appearance or damaging the construction or materials of the shoe.

Another advantage of this invention rests in the fact that, despite its simple construction, its positive grip mechanism is of such a nature that once adjusted and clamped to the shoe the pos sibility of its coming loose and detachingitself therefrom, as a result of the stresses and strains imparted to it during its normal use, are nil.

A further advantage is that the adjustability of this device is such that a proper fit may be obtained for a large range of sizes of adult shoes "common to the market.

The construction of this device consists, in general, of three elongated strips of metal, or other suitable material, so arrangedand attached to one another as to enable it to be attached to the bottom side of the sole of a shoe and to be there clamped and held in position; and further, said strips are so arranged as to impart to the device a degree of expansibility enabling it to fit various sized shoes. Two of these strips are substantially equal in length and design and are arranged so as to cross each other at approximately two fifths of their length from one end of each of these strips and are there pivotally attached to each other, thus producing one pair of longer arms and one pair of shorter arms. Extending across the two longer arms is the third mentioned strip, pivotally secured to one of these arms at one end while containing an elongated slot at its other end whereby it is slidably attached to the other arm.

At each end of each of the first two mentioned strips, a portion of said strip is turned up and back in such a manner as to enable said portion to firmly grip and hold to the periphery of the sole. Depending from the bottom faces of these strips are several substantially pointed calks or spikes whereby the additional traction between the wearer and the ground is attained.

One phase of the presentinvention resides in theemployment of the shanks of some of the pointed calks or spikes for pivotally securing the strips, where relative pivotal movement of the elements pi the cleat is had; and the employgrippers, also serve as securing devices, some serving'to secure the strips together in pivotal relation and at least one being provided with a threaded shank and cooperatingwith a threaded nut to fix the entire device inits adjusted position. l i

l The pivotal construction, at the intersection of the two substantially similar strips, working in conjunction. with the elongated slot construction of the third mentioned strip, supplies the means for adjusting the device to different sized shoes, as it affords to those arms intended to grip the sole of the shoe a greater or lesser transverse span across the shoes bottom Once positioned on the shoe, the movement of any arm or strip with relation to any other parts of the device is prevented by tightening the threaded ca-lk and lock washer arrangement upon thesides: of the above mentioned elongated slot; while its re moval is accomplished by loosening this arrangement, thus affording each section its original relative freedom and enabling the-device to be disengaged from the shoe. In addition, this anti-skid device is designed with a slight outward,

curvature from its inner face in order to better enable it to fit the contour of a shoes bottom. A fuller and more detailed description of this device is given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and in which: a

Figure 1 is a bottom face view of a. shoe with the cleat or anti-slipping device attached'thereto. Figure 2 is a side view of a shoe with the cleat attached thereto. l

Figure 3 is across section view of the calk, nut, and lock washer-arrangement taken along the line 3-3 ofFigure 1. Y a

Figure 4 is a cross sectionview of 2. depending calk or spike fixedly attached to and riveted on one of the strips and is taken on line l-4 of Figurel.

Figure 5 is a top face view of the adjusting arrangement. l

Figure 6'is a face view of the lock washer'used in the bolt, nut and lock washer mechanism.

The same reference characters represent the same parts when they appear in more than one figurep I r 1 Nos. [0 and 2|] representtwo crossed elongated strips, pivotally mounted on one another by means of the calk H. The intersectionoi these two the nut used in strips at H is so positioned on each as to make the shorter portion approximately two-fifths the length of the entire strip. With the shorter portion reaching to the inside edge of the shoe and the longer over to the outside edge, a more perfect fit and more firm grip are attained when the device is adjusted to various sized shoes than if the intersection at II were centrally located along the two strips l and Z0. The longer arms of the strip's' lt and provide a greater spread along the more gently curved and more nearly straight, and longer outside edge of the sole; while the shorter arms of the strips l0 and 20 provide a relatively short spread for engaging the more curved inside edge of the sole.

The calks l2, employed in the present invention, are shaped as shown in Figure 4 and-include a base plate, a pointed ground gripping spike and a shank portion.

Gal-k1lrl-iss'securedtosstrips l0 andJZOand holds the two strips in pivotal engagement, the shank of the. calk being swaged, or" peened for the purpQSenal-thou'gh notspecifically illustrated, it is identical:insconstruction to calk l2. illustrated in cross;section:i11-.-Figure 4, showing the extending rivet t3; (ia'l'k li likewisehol'ds. strips 14: and 2B in pivotalengagement.

1 Figure..2 is a side view of the cleat attached to sole l6 of shoe H. In particular, this figure illustratesthe-turned up and over portions 18 of strips 1:0 'and'f 20;: designed. to securely grip the edge of thesole; His-r Inaddition, Figure 1' shows at I!) that portion-s1. 1'8: are bent on aadiagonal line across strips f0 andiZOtrather than on a right angle line inorder that portions: t8 might more nearly fit the contour of the shoes sole.

Y Strip 1:4 ispivotally'attached: to 20 by calk l5 andextends; beyond calk located on strip I6. The/shan-kportion 32 of calk 30. passes through elongated slot 40 and: through strip 10;.

The meanswhereby the variousnporti-ons. of: the cleat or antieslippingxdevice-maybe held in position; with relation to'one another, is located at andisinpart-integral with calktil; Figure 3 is a: cross section view of this fastening mechanismandshows thecalk 3.0, itsythreaded shank 32;. the-.lockwasher 3|- and nut- 33,- in their positionsrelative toone another. The nut 33 has upturned'serrations 3.4: which pass through suitable openingsin strip l ll and:are bent over on the oppos'ite-faceofthe'strip, thus insuring said nut against rotation when shank, 32. is turned by applying a spanner wrench'to holes-35 in calk 3|] andturn'ing same for thepurpose of either looseningortightening this clamping mechanism.

- Thenutfiithas: aninteriorlythreaded shank 5i which passes through the openingin the strip l0, through the sole 4& in connection or' adjusting strip; I14, .andiisv swaged orapeened over to form shoulders 52 which engagethe. edges of the slot .40; therebyservingrto. hold, thestrips l0 and M in permanentassembly nd iprovidin a g i for the sliding movement of'strip. I4 on strip, Ill. The lock washer 3i rests on the strip [4 andris interposed between it and. the platelike enlarged portion 53 of the calk-5 30.

Thus, withthe clamping mechanism loosened, the-cleat: is'fitted snugly'to the sole of; the. shoe and the clamping mechanism is tightened by turning calk '30 by means-of a, spanner wrench. Once secured, this mechanism will not loosen in the: normal use? of the device because of the actiomotr the; lock washer 3 I. To remove the cleat irons-the;- shoe,.:ca1lr is turned; by:- use of the portion extending from one side of the base plate I ,4 spanner wrench again so as to loosen the clamping mechanism thus restoring to each part its pivotal freedom and enabling the cleat to undergo a transverse expansion, thus removing it from the shoe.

The drawings and the above specification disclose one form of the invention. It will be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited thereby, and variations thereof embodying the principles of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Thus as one variation the strip l 4 may be integral with the strip 20 and the slot it would then be curved to provide for the arcuate movement of the calk 36. In all forms of the invention a calk is employed for the adjustment of the cleat to the shoe, and for fixing the cleat in adjusted position; and in all formsthe main element, namely the strips l0 and 20, or what may correspond to these strips, are pivoted at a point so as to provide a pair of long and a pair-of. short armsfor maximum range of adjustability.

I claim:

1. A detachable shoe cleat comprising a. pair of swingably connected elements having integral sole gripping clips, one of said elementshaving an openin spaced from the point of swin able connection, the other element having apartv provided with an elongated slot overlying said.

opening, and means for holding said elements in adjusted position comprising; a threaded, socket passing through said opening and slot, the socket having at one end an integral disc engaging the outer face of the first mentioned element, the

'disc having upstruck portions passing through the element, and a calk having a threaded shank entering said socket and having an integral disc.- like enlargement for fixing the elements inadjusted position. I v

2. A detachable shoe cleat comprising a pair of pivotally connected elements, each of. said.

elements having turned up ends to grip the edge of the sole of a shoe, a strip connected at one end to one of said elements and slidingly connected at the other end to the other of said elements, calks carried by said elements, one of said calksserving to hold the pair of elements in pivotal relationship, said strip having arr-elongated slot, one of said elements havingan open ing, a threaded socket passing through said opening and slot, the socket having at one end, an integral disc engaging the outer face of the last mentioned element, the disc having upstruck portions passing through the arm, the socket having at its other end a shoulder engagingthe strip, and a calk having a threaded shank entering said socket and having an integral disclike enlargement for fixing the elements in; ad-

justedposition, 7 r

3. A detachable shoe cleat comprising apair of strips, a bar pivotallymounted on one of said strips and slidingly mounted on the other of, said strips, calks carried by said strips, one of. said calks serving to hold the pair; ofstrips in pivotal relationship, another calk serving tohold the bar and one of said strips in a; p votal relationship, said bar having an elongated slot, the other of saidstrips having an opening, a, threaded socket passing; through said opening; and-slot, the socket having at one-end an integral, discengaging the outer face of' one strip, the disc having upstruck portions passing throughthe strip, the; socket having atits other end; a, shoulder engagingrtllre bar, and a calkhaying a threaded shank entering Said socket: and; having an integral 1 disc-like 5 enlargement for fixing the elements in adjusted Number position. 1,302,198 MELVIN A. ROBINSON. 2,171,692 2,217,026 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,235,774 The following references are of record in the file of th1s patent. Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,812 Number Name Date 19 314,191

376,832 Schummel Jan. 24, 1888 I v 

